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Knock-off Britain! Are You Eating the Real Deal?

We’ve all heard of counterfeit handbags and designer ‘get-up’. But, did you know that the food we eat might also be classed as counterfeit? ‘Counterfeit food?’ I hear you cry, ‘like the plastic fruit my nan has in her fruit bowl?’ No, this is real food, but counterfeit branding. Prestigious products have earned a reputation for good quality such as Parma ham, Kobe beef and Hennessy cognac.

Food-fraudsters are exploiting this market demand and producing low cost, cut quality products and trying to pass them as the real deal. However food fraud is not always as obvious as a cheap knock-off product. Mislabeling is also a serious issue even here in the UK. Food authorities try to create guidelines and laws to ensure that we as consumers are not misled. However that does not stop producers from using clever marketing, using logos such as ‘Farmhouse foods’ and ‘Grandmas Recipe’. This manipulates us as a consumer in to thinking the food is of a high standard when actually imported from a factory in Asia.